Of course, you should use your best judgment with what you tweet. But just like errant comments made in real life, one misguided tweet is not likely to change others' perception of you forever.

Say what you believe. Tweet clearly. People want to follow and retweet others who make a stand and mean what they say.

2. Skew towards positivity.

There is a time and a place for negativity, but those times and those places should be rare on Twitter.

Unless you are authentically describing a difficult experience you went through, don't try to build a following by being a Daniel or Debbie Downer.

Ultimately, being critical of others is a turn-off, and you won't see the kind of exponential growth that is possible once you attract thousands of followers.

Speaking of attraction, use the Law of Attraction as your guide.

If you put out positive energy on Twitter, you are going to get positive energy in return. It's basic human psychology.

Complaining may give you temporary attention, but because it is not growth-promoting, it won't get you long-lasting recognition as a mental health influencer on Twitter.

3. Actually talk to people.

How often have you seen tweets followed by approximately 22 hashtags?

How often have you been inspired to comment on or retweet those tweet? Anyone can blast out information on any given topic.

If you want to become a mental health influencer on Twitter, you need to be thoughtful about your approach. You need to make your message stand out. The brain naturally is drawn to novelty.

In other words, don't be like everyone else.

If you share a mental health article, add a thoughtful message about why you found it interesting.

You want to be a curator and cultivator of meaningful conversations--not a robot overloading your followers with indecipherable information.

So engage. Talk to people. Comment on other tweets. And, possibly the most important of all, respond when people comment on your tweets.

There is no better way to build a following than to show a genuine interest in other people.

4. Try to avoid Twitter arguments. They don't lead anywhere.

This is a tough one. This is the one that gives Twitter a bad name. It's oh, so tempting, but it's a dead end.

You do not want to get lost in never-ending arguments on Twitter.

This is a topic that is deserving of an entire post, but I'll leave you with this:

If you feel like the conversation you are having with someone on a tweet is going south, it is probably time to do something more productive. People don't want to look stupid in the eyes of their peers. It takes a special kind of person to always engage in a curious, productive manner.

It's much better to re-read point two on this list and continue to connect with followers who buy into your message.

5. Follow people. Go first.

This is one that a lot of folks don't get. I didn't understand this for a while.

If you want to become a mental health influencer, you have to follow people on Twitter.

For years, I dabbled in Twitter thinking that, if I tweeted every once in a while, I would magically have people find me and bask in my greatness.

It doesn't work that way.

You have to go first. You have to be vulnerable. Put yourself out there. Following another person indicates that you are interested in making a connection.

Act so that others can decide if your message resonates with their worldview.

And that's it! Do those things, and you will become a mental health influencer on Twitter.

Actually, you and I both know it doesn't work that way.

But if you consistently focus on core principles, you will see your following increase. Keep it up. Almost anything done with focus, consistency, and positivity is bound to change your world.

And once you change your world, you might just start to notice other people gravitating towards the positive change you are creating.